Female Reporter Attacked In Cairo

As a female living in Egypt I am appalled and shocked to read the story of Lara Logan, a foreign journalist who was attacked on Friday the 11th. A day that has been marked as one that will forever change the course of Egyptian history. Marred by a story that is only just coming to light.

Egypt is trumped continuously as being a safe country to live in (past few weeks unrest aside). This is overall true. Particularly as a woman. There isn't a huge rate of rape in comparison to many countries in the West, and walking in the streets at night is relatively secure. Or at least, that's what people will tell you.

Generally speaking, I have felt safe in Egypt as a woman. That being said, I know not to take taxis on my own at night, I know to avoid certain areas in the country as a white woman on my own. I know not to engage strange men on the streets, particularly if they try to speak to me first. This is safety 101 when it comes to being an expat in Egypt. (**NOTE** Take an Egyptian man with you...and you'll never have problems!**)

I have spoken to many expat women who have lived in Egypt, who will mention the verbal harassment as being the highest form of threat they ever feel. I am truly happy for these women, as having to deal with any form of an attack is a frightening experience in itself.

Throughout my period in Egypt, I have experienced three circumstances when I truly felt fear. First, with my sister in the Friday Market when we were surrounded by men who were reaching and groping any area they could possibly reach. We were actually saved by three Egyptian men who then escorted us out of the area. Now, to be fair, we probably shouldn't have been in the Friday Market in the first place as foreign women, but, that does not excuse the behaviour.

My second experience was by far the most frightening. Walking in Maadi with a friend, and a car with two guys driving by and throwing petrol all over me. Thank God they did not light a match to follow. The two guys ended up stopping, I was punched twice, my friend had his nose broken. Completely unprovoked, police could do nothing.

Third experience was in a taxi, while the driver tried to take me into a secluded area in Cairo. Unfortunately for him, I knew where we were going, fortunately for me we stopped right outside a police station and the driver was promptly arrested.

Moral of the story, Egypt has been dealing with problems of sexual harassment for years. Directed both at foreigners and Egyptian women. The story of Lara Logan is horrifying, and serves as a reminder to Egyptians that the power to change your country does not lie solely within the hands of the government or the voices of the masses. The power to change your country lies with individuals. If you cannot change a person's way of thinking, corruption will never end, harassment will continue, bribes will continue to pass through unseen hands. Use your voice not just to express your discontent, but to stand up for those around you. If you see a woman being harassed, don't jump on the bandwagon or turn a blind eye, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Without attempting to change yourselves as individuals, don't expect society to change at all.

For those interested, here is Lara's story.

Shark attacks in Sinai

The Following article is taken from the Guardian Online. I'll post my comments on it later :) Just a head's up!!! 

An oceanic whitetip shark is believed to have attacked three tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh. Photograph: Brian J. Skerry/Getty Images/National Geographic

A hunt is under way to track down a shark responsible for maiming three Russian tourists in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, one of whom remains in a critical condition.

Tonight Egyptian officials closed Sharm el-Sheikh's famous beaches and suspended nearly all diving and watersports activities, which attract more than 3 million holidaymakers every year.

Two of the attacks took place within minutes of each other yesterday afternoon, when an oceanic whitetip shark moved close to shore and began snapping at a couple swimming in the Red Sea. The man's legs were torn by the shark and the woman sustained injuries to her legs and back and had to be resuscitated after rescue.

This morning a further attack, believed to be by the same shark, was made on a woman snorkelling on a reef north of the city's Na'ama Bay. Her arms were bitten off, and she was flown to Cairo for emergency treatment. "We are monitoring the situation very closely and working together with all authorities to ensure the safety of all members and visitors in the Red Sea," said Hesham Gabr, chairman of Egypt's chamber of diving and watersports. "Our thoughts are with the victims and their families."

The oceanic whitetip is a common species of shark that can grow up to four metres long, but as its name suggests it is mainly found in deep water. "This event is absolutely extraordinary," Richard Peirce, chairman of the UK-based Shark Trust, told the Guardian. "Since records began in the late 16th century there have been only nine recorded attacks on humans by an oceanic whitetip. It's abnormal behaviour; this shark hasn't just decided to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – there must have been a specific activity or event that brought it there."

Sharks can be sighted frequently in the Red Sea waters around Sharm el-Sheikh, but attacks on humans are rare. There have been some suggestions that fishing vessels have recently started coming closer to the shore.

"Something has brought this animal to the area and made it think dinner, and it's likely that it involves something being put in or on the water," said Peirce. "If fishing vessels have started coming near the beaches and they're discarding unwanted fish over the side, then that's a powerful shark attractant. It could also be camping sites or hotels dumping rubbish, although until further investigations are done none of us can comment intelligently on what the trigger was."

Today a team from the South Sinai national park launched a search for the shark, which they plan to trap and then release in the Gulf of Suez at a safe distance from the shoreline. The Egyptian government will be watching nervously to see whether the incident has any long-term impact on tourism levels, an important source of revenue for the country.

"It won't be just a bump – this is a catastrophe for the local tourism industry," said Ramy Francis, a veteran diver with close knowledge of the area. "Three attacks so swiftly in succession and all of them that aggressive – it will certainly take some time for the hotel and watersports trade to recover."

But Amr Aboulfatah, the owner of a Sharm el-Sheikh dive centre and former chairman of the South Sinai Association for Diving and Marine Activities, disagreed. "Everyone is scared to get in the water right now, but there are concerted efforts going on to resolve the situation and I really don't think we will see any lasting consequences in terms of the tourism industry."